Silent Night in No Man's Land
Enemies shake a brother's hand ...
I can't recall when I first heard this story but it definitely captured my attention. The thought of a sliver of humanity glimmering through the insanity of war was more than intriguing. To discover that the story was true ... pure magic.
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Silent Night in No Man's Land
[Verse 1]
In the mud and frost of Flanders field
The winter bites through wool and steel
Rats run wild where the dead men lie
Under barbed wire 'gainst a leaden sky
Shells scream down like the devil's call
In this trench hell, we've lost it all
Young lads dream of home so far
On this Christmas Eve, beneath the stars
[Verse 2]
Then lights flicker across the wire
Little trees with candle fire
Voices rise in the frozen air
"Stille Nacht," soft and clear
We answer back from our dugout deep
With "The First Noel" we softly weep
"Merry Christmas, Tommy!" they call so bold
"Merry Christmas, Fritz!" in the bitter cold
[Chorus]
Silent night in No Man's Land
Enemies shake a brother's hand
Cigarettes and chocolate shared
In the glow of peace, hearts laid bare
Silent night, holy night
For one brief hour, the guns take flight
All is calm, all is bright
In No Man's Land on Christmas night
[Verse 3]
We climb the parapet, hands held high
Meet halfway 'neath the starry sky
Saxons and Scots, we laugh and trade
Buttons, tobacco, stories made
Bury the fallen side by side
No more hate in this yuletide tide
A football kicks on cratered ground
Laughter echoes all around
[Chorus]
Silent night in No Man's Land
Enemies shake a brother's hand
Cigarettes and chocolate shared
In the glow of peace, hearts laid bare
Silent night, holy night
For one brief hour, the guns take flight
All is calm, all is bright
In No Man's Land on Christmas night
[Bridge]
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (soft harmony)
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
In this moment, we're all just men
[Verse 4]
But dawn brings orders from on high
The truce must end, the guns must cry
Back to the lines, we turn away
With heavy hearts at break of day
That fleeting peace, a light so true
Reminds us what the soul can do
Though war returned with cruel command
We'll ne'er forget No Man's Land
[Final Chorus (slower, fading)]
Silent night in No Man's Land
Enemies were brothers then
One holy night, the world stood still
In the truce of goodwill
Silent night, holy night
May that light forever shine bright
All is calm, all is bright
Remember Christmas 1914... tonight
This is original work is produced by AK Darvinson with a combination of observation, critical thinking, insight, heart, compassion, passion, creativity, and technology. All rights are reserved. Free sharing is encouraged. Commercial use via license only.
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